Floor guy says GLUE. I wanted FLOAT. Which best for concrete slab?
5 years ago
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Float or glue engineered wood over very smooth concrete slab
Comments (5)The most important thing im going to mention involves the concrete flatness/moisture just by looking at the concrete is not good enough to deteremine flatness...take a 7ft straight edge and get on your hands and knees and check EVERY square foot. guarantee there will be higher and lower spots. spots that need to be addressed prior to any work regardless of glueing or floating the wood. then while the water drop test is a good start. you will need to check the moisture level of the concrete. the last thing you want to do is spend all the work laying the floor only to find the floor buckled a few months down the road due too high moisture, then having the rip everything out and be stuck with wasted time and money....See MoreGlue down bamboo on concrete slab
Comments (5)Ouch. Lumber Liquidators Bamboo at $1.19/sf....yikes. Run away! Far, far away! Glue down over slab in "lowcountry" South Carolina is a recipe for disaster. These areas with HIGH WATER TABLES (slab on grade) are the very reason man created FLOATING FLOORS. And no - your wood moisture meter is useless on concrete AND bamboo. Yah. Bamboo is NOT wood. It is grass. It contains SO MUCH GLUE (30% is common) that a cheap wood moisture meter (something LESS than $300) will not be able to deal with bamboo. And the glue on slab will be stupid expensive. I mean $3 per square foot type of expensive! And then you need to know HOW to apply it. And how thick. And what trowel. And that does NOT guarantee it will survive a wet spring. Please pick something else. And just for fun....go ahead and google Lumber liquidators - bamboo - lawsuits - dangerous off gassing. I would not touch this bamboo with a 400 foot pole....See MoreIs floating floor on concrete slab ok, or rather have a plywood base?
Comments (3)Floating a floor over a concrete slab is very common. The things to be aware of: flatness...but this is required no matter how you install a rigid floor. Flatness doesn't matter under carpet (which is why builders LOVE to use carpet over concrete)...which is why it can take $$$$ to get a slab (that used to have carpet) ready for a rigid floor. The next thing you need to be prepared for: the cost to get the slab ready for a rigid floor (floating or otherwise). A 'nice slab' can have a price tag of $2/sf. A nasty slab can have a price of $4/sf for preparation costs (includes labout and materials). Once your slab is ready, you can lay your floor. The next thing to be aware of: underpad. Laminates and engineered hardwoods do very will with an underpad/underlayment (like cork). Vinyl does NOT like underpad. So it depends on what type of floating floor you have. And the next thing to be aware of: moisture barrier. This is required no matter how you install your floor. Floating, glue down or the questionable practice of laying plywood first and then nailing a floor to it...you will ALWAYS need a vapour barrier over concrete that is at or below 'grade' (the ground). These are all 'basic' flooring stuff. They aren't directed to a floating floor. They are required for all floors. A floating floor can have a few limits on length of run...but it depends on WHAT it is you are floating and the manufacturer's limitations. Without knowing the type of product you are installing, it is impossible to tell you what to 'look out for'....See Morewhat installation method is best for concrete slab
Comments (5)How old is the slab? How flat is the slab? What's sitting on it right now? Let's start with the basics. Old slabs (built before 1990's) can have moisture issues. Without the right adhesives (and you would be surprised at how many adhesives that say they are 'unlimited' have rather sad limitations for moisture) you can get massive failures very very quickly. I'm always surprised at the 'glue down' the plywood and then nail down the hardwood. Why not just glue down the hardwood? It requires the same adhesive...so why not go ahead and do the hardwood that way...and skip the plywood. A floating hardwood floor (with proper moisture barrier underneath) is the one least likely to fail (due to moisture). A properly prepared slab (all the grinding/filling/leveling) is going to produce a lovely floating hardwood. And if you want a 'solid' feel underneath, go ahead and use a lovely 1/4" cork underlayment underneath the hardwood (but over top the moisture barrier). It is a really nice combination....See MoreRelated Professionals
Durham Kitchen & Bathroom Remodelers · Alhambra General Contractors · Covington Flooring Contractors · Lebanon Flooring Contractors · Cocoa Flooring Contractors · Brookline Tile and Stone Contractors · Bay Shore General Contractors · McPherson General Contractors · Welleby Park General Contractors · Rosaryville Interior Designers & Decorators · Asheville Furniture & Accessories · Millburn Furniture & Accessories · Newington General Contractors · Salem General Contractors · Seabrook General Contractors- 5 years ago
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